The present invention relates to a method for applying a road surface using at least one mixing plant for producing laying material, a road finishing machine for applying the laying material to a road surface, and a supply chain for transporting the laying material from the mixing plant to the road finishing machine.
Preparing a road surface is an extremely complex working process. Usually, not only many different working machines, such as, for example, a mixing plant, trucks, feeders, road finishing machines and rollers, are involved in this working process, but also many different persons, sometimes with different degrees of experience. Moreover, the preparation of a road surface is influenced by many factors, for example by the temperature and composition of the laying material, the duration of the transport of the laying material to the construction site, the laying speed, the adjustment of the compacting units at the road finishing machine, or optionally the following roller, and also environmental influences, such as wind, temperature and moisture. All these influences can, individually or in interaction, affect the quality of the prepared road surface. However, it is always the aim to prepare a road surface with the highest possible quality, in particular with a defined degree of compaction of the laying material or with high stability, respectively.
In the past, many suggestions have been already made showing how methods and systems for applying a road surface can be better monitored, controlled or documented in view of more uniform work results. For example, DE 101 51 942 B4 discloses a working machine management system wherein construction vehicles can communicate with each other and with a job-site office. The exchanged data can relate, for example, to information on thefts, construction project costs, component requirement predictions, service requirement predictions, weather data or fuel consumption. DE 60 2004 011 968 T2 describes a further system for exchanging information on sites. Data exchange between mobile construction vehicles and a job-site office is accomplished there by means of an internet protocol. DE 10 2008 054 481 A1 describes an asphalt system wherein the navigation of construction vehicles is based on a so-called position temperature model. The system determines where to best employ compacting vehicles on the basis of the initially assessed and then measured asphalt temperature.
According to US 2004/0260504 A1, asphalt-related measured data can be transmitted in a wireless communication system. DE 101 51 942 B4 describes that a certain identification is allocated to each construction vehicle. Another fleet management system for construction vehicles can be taken from U.S. Pat. No. 6,862,521 B1. WO 00/70150 A1 describes the measurement of the asphalt temperature at a road finishing machine. The measured temperature data are forwarded to a compactor following the road finishing machine.
DE 197 44 772 A1 describes the determination of a local compacting level to inform a compactor how many times he must drive over the stated area. DE 694 16 006 T2 describes a further variant for controlling a compactor, for example a roller. The navigation of a compacting roller depending on the degree of compaction in road construction is also treated in EP 1 897 997 A2.
De 10 2008 058 481 A1, DE 60 2004 011 968 T2 and DE 101 51 942 B4 disclose the inclusion of climate and weather data in site processes. An automatic traffic management system which, however, is not related to site processes can be taken from DE 195 47 574. An automatic navigation of construction site vehicles taking into consideration their positions can be taken, for example, from DE 197 44 772, DE 60 2004 011 968 T2, DE 199 40 404 or DE 197 55 324 A1.
A fleet management system which displays data of mobile working machines and their positions on an internet website is described in EP 1 314 101 A1. EP 1 550 096 discloses a system which measures the quality of the bituminous surface or the quality of the asphalt. A system for determining the compaction of asphalt is discussed in EP 0 698 152 B2. This document discloses specifications for a speed or a lead of a road finishing machine over the following rollers or other compacting machines.